This page is designed to guide you through the rudiments of the religion of verity, commencing with the Essentials section and progressing methodically to the Curriculum section, in order. The aspiration is that, God willing, once you have proficiently comprehended this section, you will grasp the basics of faith and be capable of exploring the Library section as well as future studies with discernment. In the Counsel section, you may find answers to questions that might come about at the outset of your journey, as well as more general advice about what it means to be a Muslim of Western origin or culture. May the Lord of all creation imbue your heart with sincerity and triumph. Amen.

Of Umar, son of Al-Khattab, may God's grace be upon him, thus it was said: Lo, as we sat in the presence of God's Emissary, peace and blessings be upon him, there came unto us a man arrayed in garments of purest white and with hair of deepest black. Upon him bore no trace of a journey, nor was he known amongst us. He drew nigh unto the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and with his knees touching the Prophet's own, he rested his hands upon his thighs, and thus he spake, "O Muhammad, I beseech thee, speak unto me of this Islam."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, responded, "Verily, Islam is to testify that there is no god but God, and Muhammad is His messenger, to observe prayer, to give alms, to fast during the month of Ramadan, and to make pilgrimage unto the Sacred House, if thou art able to journey there."

"Thou hast spoken truly," the man replied. We marvelled greatly at this stranger who sought the Prophet's wisdom, and then confirmed its truth. He then inquired further, "Now tell me of faith."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, answered, "Faith is to believe in God, His angels, His holy books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree, whether it brings good or ill."

"Thou hast spoken truly," the man affirmed. "Now speak to me of goodness."

The Prophet replied, "Goodness is to worship God as though thou seest Him, for even if thou dost not see Him, He seeth thee."

"Now tell me of the Final Hour," the stranger implored.

"Of that hour," replied the Prophet, "the one who is asked knows no more than the one who asks."

"Then speak to me of its signs."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, answered, "The signs shall be that a servant girl shall give birth to her mistress, and thou shalt see the barefoot, the naked, the destitute, the shepherds vying in the construction of lofty buildings."

With that, the stranger took his leave. After a while had passed, the Prophet turned to me and asked, "O Umar, dost thou know who was the questioner?"

"Nay," I responded, "God and His Messenger know best."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Verily, it was the angel Gabriel. He came to teach you your religion."

Related by Muslim.

Of this tradition, the scholar ibn Daqiq al-Id said, 

Lo, here beginneth a discourse most profound, encompassing all manner of outward and inward deeds; the sciences of the Law, in their entirety, do trace back unto it, branching therefrom, for it doth include the gathering of the knowledge of the Sunnah, thus it is as a mother unto the Sunnah, just as the Opening of the Book is called the Mother of the Quran, for that it doth encompass the gathering of the meanings of the Quran.

This venerable discipline explores the ineffable nature of the Divine, the ethereal journey of prophecy, the enigma of life beyond the mortal coil, and the intricate dance 'twixt human volition and the celestial decree. It is a pursuit that weaves reason with spiritual insight, aiming to articulate and uphold the innermost truths of Islam through reasoned thought and scholarly discourse.

In his commentary on the tradition of Gabriel above, the scholar ibn Daqiq al-Id says,

His saying, "To believe in Allah, and His angels, and His books, the belief in Allah: is the affirmation that He, glorified be He, exists, described with attributes of majesty and perfection, transcendent above attributes of deficiency and that He is the One, the absolute, the singular, the Creator of all creation, sovereign in His dominion as He wills, acting within His kingdom what He desires. And the belief in the angels: is the affirmation that they are honored servants, who precede Him not in speech and act by His command. And the belief in the messengers of Allah: is that they are truthful in what they have conveyed about Allah the Exalted, supported by miracles that testify to their truthfulness, and that they have delivered Allah's message, and clarified to the charged what Allah has commanded them; and that respect is due to them and no distinction should be made among any of them. And the belief in the Last Day: is the affirmation in the Day of Resurrection and what it encompasses of resurrection after death, gathering, spreading, accounting, the balance, the bridge, paradise, and hell, and that they are the abodes of recompense and reward for the beneficent and the malefactors, and other matters as has been transmitted. And the belief in destiny: is the affirmation of what has been aforementioned. And in essence, it alludes to what the Exalted hath spoken, "And Allah created you and that which ye do," and His saying, "Verily, all things We created with predestination and such like." And from this, the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the tradition of Ibn Abbas, "Know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit thee with aught, they would not benefit thee save with that which Allah had already prescribed for thee, and if they were to gather together to harm thee with aught, they would not harm thee save with that which Allah had already prescribed against thee. The pens are lifted and the pages dry." And the method of the predecessors and the leaders of the successors: he who believeth in these matters with a firm belief, devoid of doubt or hesitation, is truly a believer. Whether that is upon definitive proofs or firm convictions...

He further says,

His query, "Then inform me of its signs," with the opening hamza, signifying a mark or symbol. And "the slave-girl" here is the born servant, and "her master" her lady, mentioned in another narration as her husband, and it is narrated that an Arab was asked about this camel, he said: "I am her master." The husband is called "master," and in the tradition, "her master" is feminized. The interpretation of his saying that the slave-girl will give birth to her master is said to mean that Muslims will conquer the lands of disbelief, leading to an increase in servitude, making the child of the slave-girl equal to her master due to the nobility from his father. On this interpretation, what will be among the signs of the Hour is the Muslims' conquest over the polytheists, the increase in victories and servitude. Another interpretation is that it means the corruption of people's conditions, to the extent that masters sell the mothers of their children, and their recirculation among buyers increases, so perhaps a child may purchase his mother without realizing it. On this account, it would signify the moral and social decay preceding the end times. 

Among the signs of the Hour is the prevalence of ignorance and the forbiddance of their sale, which is said to mean the increase of disobedience in children, treating their mother as a master treats a slave: with disdain and reproach. And "the dependent," with a softened 'lam,' plural of 'a dependent,' means the impoverished.

In the traditions, there is disdain for wealth not driven by necessity towards the elongation and fortification of buildings. It is narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he said: "The son of Adam earns reward in all things except that which he places in this dust." And the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, passed away without having placed one stone upon another, nor brick upon brick: meaning, he did not construct buildings for grandeur or lengthen them for luxury.

And his saying, "the shepherds of sheep," is specifically mentioned because they are among the weakest of the desert folk, meaning despite their weakness and their distance from means unlike the camel herders who are generally not dependent nor impoverished. And his saying, "So I remained for a while," has been narrated with a 'ta,' meaning the stay of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and narrated without a 'ta' meaning: the Prophet, peace be upon him, remained after his departure, and both are correct in meaning. And "for a while" is with an emphasis on the 'ya,' meaning a considerable time, which was three, as clarified in the narration of Abu Dawud and others.

And his saying, "He came to teach you your religion," meaning the fundamentals of your religion or the essentials of your faith: said by Sheikh Muhyiddin in his commentary on this tradition in Sahih Muslim.

Most notable in this discourse is the elucidation of Islam, Faith, and Excellence, and the necessity of belief in affirming the decree of Allah the Exalted, mentioning in the explanation of Islam and Faith extensive discourse, and recounted therein the sayings of a group of scholars. Among them, what was recounted from Imam Abu al-Husayn, known as Ibn Battal the Maliki, who said: "The stance of the assembly of the People of the Sunnah, from the predecessors of the Ummah and their successors, avows that faith is both declaration and action, waxing and waning, evidenced by the Exalted's utterance, "And they increased in faith with their [existing] faith," and like verses. Some scholars have said: the very act of affirmation neither increases nor decreases, but the legalistic faith fluctuates with the augmentation or diminution of its fruits, which are deeds. They say: This reconciles the apparent meanings of the texts that speak of increase, with the original deployment of the term in language. And though this statement of theirs seems manifest, yet more apparent, God knows best, is that affirmation increases with the frequent contemplation of evident proofs. Hence, the faith of those who affirm is stronger than that of others, insomuch that folly beguiles them not, nor does their faith waver at any trial, but their hearts remain ever expansive and illuminated, regardless of their circumstances. As for others, those of the covenant and those near unto them, it is not so, and this cannot be denied.

None doubts but that the affirmation of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, stands unparalleled among the affirmations of mankind. Therefore, al-Bukhari stated in his Sahih: Ibn Abi Mulaika reported having met thirty men among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, each of whom feared hypocrisy for himself, not one amongst them claiming his faith to equal that of Gabriel and Michael, upon them be peace.

To embark upon the journey into the deep and sacred teachings that every follower of Islam is beckoned to hold, one is well advised to seek out "The Discipline of Theological Foundations" residing within the Library section. This text emerges as a pivotal guide to grasping the core beliefs that form the bedrock of the Islamic creed, proffering enlightenment upon the fundamental tenets each devotee of Islam is enjoined to uphold. 

In his commentary on the tradition of Gabriel above, the scholar ibn Daqiq al-Id says,

As for naming deeds as faith, there is consensus among the people of truth, and its proofs are too numerous to enumerate. Allah, the Exalted, said, "And Allah would not waste your faith," meaning your prayers, and recounted from Sheikh Abu Amr Ibn Salah regarding the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him, "Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and to establish prayer..." Then he explained faith by saying, "To believe in Allah, the Exalted, and His angels..." He, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This elucidates the essence of faith, which is internal affirmation, and the essence of Islam, which is submission and outward obedience, and the judgment of Islam in the external realm, is established in the twin testimonies. Yet unto these were added prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage, for they stand as the most evident symbols of Islam and the greatest thereof. By his adherence thereto, his surrender becomes manifest. Verily, the name of faith encompasses what is explained by Islam in this discourse and all other obediences, for they are the fruits of the internal affirmation which is the essence of faith.

Therefore, the appellation of a true believer in its absolute sense does not befall one who commits a grave sin or neglects an obligatory duty, for the name of a thing, in its entirety, is attributed to its perfect form and is not used for the deficient except by intention. Similarly, it is permissible to negate it in his saying, peace be upon him, "The fornicator does not fornicate while he is a believer, and the thief does not steal while he is a believer." And the name of Islam also encompasses what is the root of faith, which is the internal affirmation, and it encompasses the root of obediences, for all that is surrender. He said: What we have mentioned elucidates that faith and Islam conjoin and diverge, and that every believer is a Muslim, but not every Muslim is a believer. And he said: This clarification accords with harmony, and the texts of the Scripture and the Tradition that have often been misconstrued by those who delve into them. And what we have elucidated herein aligns with the stance of the majority of scholars from among the people of Hadith and others, and Allah knows best.

The scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti defines the discipline of mysticism in the chapter on mysticism from his larger work "Purity" as follows:

The doctrine of mysticism speaketh of the heart's purification before the Lord Most High and the renouncing of all but Him. Observe thou the Lord in every condition of thine, commencing with the performance of duties mandated, and the avoidance of the forbidden, progressing to the voluntary and the discouraged acts. Let thy zeal in abandoning the forbidden surpass thy diligence in performing the commanded, and in matters permitted, thou art free. Shouldst thou seek by it obedience, or means thereto, or abstention from the forbidden, it is praiseworthy. Acknowledge thy shortfall in what thou hast presented, and that thou hast not fulfilled unto the Lord the merest fraction of His due, and count not thyself above any soul, for the end of all things is unknown to thee. Yield unto the command of the Lord Most High and His decree, assured that only that which He wills shall transpire, not as thou desirest. And take heed not to judge the conditions of thy brethren, save by that which the Sacred Law doth dictate.

In his commentary on the Tradition of Gabriel above, the scholar ibn Daqiq al-Id says,

"And his saying on Ihsan, "That thou worship Allah as though thou seest Him..." essentially returns to perfecting the acts of worship, observing the rights of Allah and His oversight, and bringing to mind His majesty and grandeur during acts of worship."

In the heart of Islam, the essence is to preserve the sacred tradition as imparted by the blessed Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace. The foundational stones for discerning the true nature of the Truth are the Holy Quran, the traditions of the blessed Prophet, peace be upon him, and the understandings and practices of his companions, especially where there is unanimity, for it is beyond contemplation that they would concur in error.

As the faithful expanded their reach and encountered new realms, the creed faced scrutiny from diverse theological perspectives, and the erudite found themselves in novel predicaments demanding legal judgments hitherto unknown within the tradition. These trials necessitated that the theologians fortify the creed with newly coined terms and methods of disputation, lest the flock stray. In like manner, jurists employed analogy to divine legal decrees for emergent situations. This crucible led to the broadening of the tradition, a portion of which strayed into the realms of disbelief, a segment wandered near to heresy but stopped short of outright infidelity, and the vast majority who stayed the course of the creed and legal precepts as held by the noble companions. This steadfast group came to embody orthodoxy in the succeeding eras.

In matters of faith, the bastions of orthodoxy are the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools of theology, which adhere unwaveringly to the beliefs of the devout forebears, altering not a single jot of their conviction. Regarding jurisprudence, numerous orthodox schools and methodologies existed in the nascent stages. Yet, as epochs passed, many of these schools waned and were extinguished. However, four schools have persevered to this day, representing the orthodox legal tradition of Islam: the schools of Abu Hanifa (Hanafi), Malik (Maliki), Shafi (Shafi'i), and Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Hanbali). In the realm of mysticism, the path is that of Junaid "the traveller". The mystical schools have witnessed much deviation through the ages, thus any school that diverges from the orthodox creed and jurisprudence is deemed heterodox.

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Blessed are you who has embarked upon this sacred journey of faith. The counsel most direct and plain is thus rendered:

Seek Understanding: Devote yourself to the study of sacred texts and teachings. Let not your heart be swayed by mere sentiments, but be grounded in knowledge and understanding.

Pray with Love and Gratitude: Establish the habit of prayer, for it is the lifeline between your soul and the Divine. In moments of joy and tribulation alike, let your prayers ascend as a sweet incense.

Repent with Sincerity: Devote yourself to earnest repentance, accustom your heart to this noble exercise, and frequently bask in its warmth and the grace of forgiveness it brings.

Be Steadfast in Trials: Know that the journey of faith is oft beset with trials. Let these moments not shake you, but rather refine and strengthen your spirit.

Cultivate Virtue: Strive for righteousness, patience, kindness, and humility. These virtues shall be your armor against the snares of the world.

Fellowship with the Faithful: Surround yourself with those who walk the same path. Their companionship and counsel shall be a lantern unto your feet and a light unto your path. As pertains to the fellowship of believers in the realms of the internet, a plethora of communities and forums are established for the newly faithful. Yet, these virtual congregations often wander without a compass, bereft of a definite purpose or path. A frequent malady in these groups is the presence of counsellors lacking in true wisdom, mirroring the olden parable of the blind leading the blind. It behooves the prudent to exercise caution in such communities, for they are oft more barren than bountiful, and may lead astray, sowing the seeds of erroneous beliefs and interpretations concerning the sacred doctrines.

May your path be blessed and guided by the Almighty.

With due gratitude unto the Lord, there are many a resource for the Muslim in pursuit of learning his faith. Hereunder are listed trustworthy compendiums beyond this very site:

Koran Translations

• • M. Pickthall

  • A. J. Arberry

Websites

• • masud.co.uk

  • mahdinnm.blogspot.com

Podcasts

• • The Foreword

Virtual Communities

• • Hallowed Heritage WhatsApp Community. Kindly utilize the contact page to submit your request for addition. Please provide your WhatsApp number and specify your gender, as the groups are organized separately by sex.

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